


Somebody Else

by intermediatewriting



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Inspired by a song by the 1975, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6058177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intermediatewriting/pseuds/intermediatewriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico swears he doesn't like Will anymore. So why does it bother him that Will has found somebody else?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somebody Else

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by an incredible song by The 1975 entitled *drum roll* Somebody Else.

Nico can’t believe that this was happening. Maybe this was the consequence of not addressing the inevitable but Nico just didn’t think that this could possibly happen. Hands were on Will’s waist, unshifting hazel eyes were on sky blue ones, and the two bodies were moving to the beat. That body that was against Will’s wasn’t Nico’s though and for some reason, the latter’s impatience was already bugging him.

The clock said that it’s still 11:30 and Nico was terrified that if he asked Will to go by this time, the blond will just get him a cab that’ll get him home alone. And Nico was even more afraid that if that happens, he might just end up being disappointed.

It was, however, not anything he’d like to admit. He was so adamant in telling everyone and in assuring himself that he didn’t like Will Solace anymore. 

At least, he is as sure as he was years ago, when he first met Will. Nico tried to do everything to keep Will away. After all, the blond had been so irritating when he supervised Nico’s recovery every step of the way. He diligently made sure that all the vitamins were consumed after Nico ate three complete meals. He pushed Nico out of his dark cabin to walk around camp or to sit under a tree. Nico was also forced to interact with different campers through Will and likewise, Will became friends with every person from Nico’s group. 

Will was so involved in Nico’s progress that he can’t help but find himself seeking for Will’s long narratives about his patients or text Will every time he’s had a bad day and felt like crying. When Nico started feeling warm whenever Will’s arm suddenly bumped into his or when he suddenly can’t help but look at the blond through his peripheral vision, he knew that he fell in something that he couldn’t easily escape. So he denied everything and pushed it in. He thought he could survive being around Will and not having feelings for him. If he could have a platonic relationship with Jason and if he could get over Percy, he could do it for Will.

Will, however, had a way of diverting plans. A few months after his surprising confession to Nico, he was finally able to convince the son of Hades to go out with him. However, at that time, Nico was doing too much quests for his father and Will was too busy focusing on school. While the want for their relationship to work was gnawing them, they decided to break it off. 

The breakup consisted of them hugging each other for a long time and offering one another deep kisses and consolations. They promised to give each other space and when they were ready, they’d revive their precious and hard-earned friendship.

Nico took a gap year from school then and traveled all over Asia in an attempt to discover himself. He ran into monsters from time to time but at the end of the day, he felt like he was finally making memories rather than finding his old ones. Will doubled his workload by becoming a secretary for an older brother of his. His exposure to more patients motivated him to work harder in school in order to be a better doctor. 

That was the reason why Nico dragged him out today. After eight months of distancing themselves and another eight months of mending their relationship, Nico and Will’s friendship became stronger than ever. In fact, their friendship became so stable that Will offered to be roommates when he heard that Nico will be studying in the same university. 

Nico, however, was so sick of hearing Will mumbling words that were not incantations or spells (or at least according to Will) while bent over books that costs more than both of his kidneys. 

“I haven’t seen you go out the previous semester and yet you were moaning about the lack of your social life.” Nico stated while dragging him out of their dorm room. 

“This semester, you will go out and you will have fun, without having to make your academic responsibilities suffer.” 

He even remembered telling the guy that he needed balance in his life. One side of his mouth lifted as he recalled that Will was the one who used to say that, back when they were in camp.

He knew that this was what Will needed and that he was just being a good friend. However, there was this persistent feeling in his chest that made him want to drag Will away from here and away from any other guy, ever. Once he recognized the all too familiar feeling, he drank several bottles of beer, hoping that maybe it was just the loneliness getting at him.

Melancholy, however, is a great friend of Nico’s throughout all his travels. While he revels in the relationships he has created through time, he never felt bad about eating by himself in a restaurant or watching a movie on his own. 

Loneliness was definitely not the culprit. However, Nico was pretty sure he promised all his friends that it was okay to be roommates with Will now. They were friends before and they could be friends now. He remembered seeing all his friends nodding except for Jason whose eyebrows were scrunched up and Reyna who bit her lip. They never said anything regarding Will afterwards so Nico thought that maybe they believed him.

Looking at the boy who’s mouth was suddenly on Will’s ears to probably whisper sweet nothings, Nico thought that maybe lying out loud wasn’t going to do anything to the truth whose primary aim was to make itself known. He asked for two shots of tequila and downed them in less than a minute.

He looked at Will again and saw that his lips and the stranger’s were too close for Nico’s comfort. Nico closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he trained his eyes on his phone to text Will that he would be going ahead. He needed to go home. Maybe…..maybe it’s just the stress getting to him. 

 

It’s a Thursday night and all that was on Nico’s mind was that tomorrow is Friday. One more night and he could finally spend half of the day sleeping on his bed. 

He reached the door to his dorm room only to see a red bandana wrapped around the knob, otherwise known as their “Do not enter” code. Nico paused and placed his ear to the door. He only heard muffled voices and footsteps that seem to be nearing the door. Just as the door opened, Nico stood up abruptly and faced the same stranger that had been dancing with Will last week. 

The guy smiled at him then passed by him. Nico looked back to peek at the guy. Shaking his head, he went inside and pushed the door closed. 

Will was laying on his bed with one arm over his eyes. His torso was bare while a blanket covered him waist-down. Nico tried not to look at Will while the latter looked so ethereal from not being involved with Nico. Perhaps it was a selfish thought but to see Will’s freckle-dusted cheek stained pink and his lips a raw kind of red was enough to keep Nico frustrated for not being able to illicit that kind of beauty anymore.

After dropping his bag and taking off his shoes, Nico turned around to see Will staring at him. Nico raised an eyebrow.

“How was school? You had that class where the professor calls you all the time, right?” Will said. Of course, he’d want to know about Nico’s day. Stupid, caring, beautiful person.

“Yeah. Uh, I got called…predictably.” Nico mumbled. He sat on his bed and rested his back on the wall.

Will turned his body to face Nico’s. He smirked and asked, “Ooh, looks like someone’s got a crush on Nicky!”

"Yuck, I'm pretty sure he's sixty years old!" Nico said with a frown.

"But that's the fun part!" Will teased.

Will’s eyes closed as he laughed. Nico took one of his books and threw it at Will. The other boy raised his hands to counter the hit as he continued to fill the room with his laughter.

Nico looked at the other boy whose hands went to his own eyes to wipe the tears that were about to roll down. His shoulders were shaking and his mouth was wide open as his laugh resonated around the room. Nico can’t help but smile at the sight.

 

Will was fussing over his outfit too much. Nico was sure he’d been in front of the mirror for an hour already. He rolled his eyes as Will asked if his shirt looked “okay”. 

Nico looked at Will and observed as he ran his hand through his hair. He had waxed it more than necessary and while Will looked dapper, Nico thought that he liked it better when the blond’s hair was wild. He loved when some of the strands fell over his face and he’d have to push it back to reveal those beautiful eyes that reminded him of clear pool water.

Will’s mouth was turned down and his eyebrows were scrunched as he turned to Nico and asked, “Do I look okay?”

“I’ve already told you ten times. Do I really need to pull off a Bruno Mars?” Nico said quickly. He sighed and bit his lip. 

Softly, Nico said “You look more than okay, Will. Stop fussing over yourself and just go over where you need to be.” 

Will cocked his head to the side and gave Nico a small smile. He took his jacket and then headed before the door. As his hands touched the handle, he turned around, revealing a huge smile.

“Thanks, Nicky.” 

Nico threw him a balled up paper. 

“Go away and stop calling me Nicky.”

Nico wanted to pretend that he hated that nickname. It’s been so special though, as it had been always what Will had called him. He got teased by his friends for that and he tried to show them his annoyance but deep inside, his heart soared because it was a name that only Will used. 

Nico sighed and lied on his bed as he thought of what could happen on Will’s date. Perhaps, he would be as sweet as he was to Nico. Nico felt a pang on his chest as he imagined Will talking endlessly about his surroundings, as he does when he’s nervous. He’d probably talk about the healthy options in the menu or about the interiors of the restaurant.

“Most restaurants use the color red because it apparently stimulates hunger”, Will would say to his date like he did when he and Nico went out to their favorite Japanese restaurant. 

Maybe, while waiting for their meals to come, Will would stretch out his hand and cover the other guy’s hand. Will’s unwavering gaze would be on the guy as he would listen intently and reply rapidly, eager to keep the conversation flowing. 

When the food arrives, Will would give the guy a bite of his food and tease the guy to feed him, as well. Will would close his eyes and nod as he tells the guy that he has such a good taste in food.

Nico wonders if Will would tell the guy any secret. Maybe he’d tell the guy about how he hated that his father was absent but, at the same time, he can’t hold a grudge on Apollo because his mother still talks about his father so fondly and really, as long as his mother’s happy, he is too. He’d probably say that he hates eating seafood because he firmly believes that fishes are friends and not food. 

Most of all, a tiny part of Nico desperately wishes that Will would bring him up and say that there was once a time when they were in love. But that was wishful thinking, wasn’t it? 

Besides, Nico is not in love with Will and if he is, at least he’s trying to get over him. 

Never mind the fact that he’s miserably failing at it.

 

Will came home a little after 12. There’s some ruffling outside the door before it opened to reveal the son of Apollo, who still looked as divine as he was a few hours ago. Nico sat up from his bed. 

Perhaps, it was Nico’s turn to inquire about the guy’s night but all that he was able to blurt out is, “Stop it.”

Will paused and looked around before turning to him. “Stop what? Did I do something wrong?”

Nico buried his head in his hands. He won’t make any sense but if he’s not going to say it, he might regret everything.

“Stop seeing him.” He looked at Will and pleaded. “Please, Will.”

Will shrugged off his jacket and took off his shoes before sitting next to Nico. Will looked at the wall before settling his eyes on the other boy.

“I….I don’t understand.” He said as he wrapped his arms around his bent legs.

Nico shook his head. “I don’t understand either, Will, but it feels wrong to see you with him.”

He took a deep breath before continuing, “Whenever you’re with him, I just get so distressed. I keep thinking about what you’d be doing to him. Or…or I’d think about us.”

He tugged at his hair. “I don’t know how to explain this, Will, and I know I might sound selfish but fuck, the only guy I want to see you with is me.”

Will blinked a few times and swallowed before saying, “That’s kind of unfair, Nico. I’m having fun with Kyle.”

Nico slumped back down on his bed. Of course, Will would have fun with Kyle. He was the type to see the positive in everyone.

“I know. I’m being unfair. I’m being selfish. But I can’t bear to see you with somebody else.” Nico whispered. “Is it too much to ask you to give me another chance?”

He looked up to see the other boy staring at him with wide eyes. 

Will shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Will, you need to know. You know that we need to know.” Nico insisted.

“Maybe…” Will trailed off.

“Maybe what?” Nico asked.

“Maybe I’ll give us another chance.” 

Nico sat up and brushed Will’s stray hairs away from his face. He leaned in to leave a peck on the boy’s cheeks. 

Nico imagined waking up in the morning next to Will again. Nico would be idly touching Will’s cheeks. He would be pressing a kiss on the blond’s shoulder and rest his head on his chest. Will's maybe was a sign of possibility and if that’s the case, maybe was all they ever needed.

“Thank you.” Nico said as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist and rested his head on Will’s shoulder. He felt a pair of arms wrapping around his middle as he smiled.

Maybe there was no getting over Will Solace. Maybe there was no need to get over him at all. But maybe Nico didn’t mind.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! Any comment is welcome. 
> 
> Also, I cannot wait for The 1975's new album (with a really long title but who cares, it's going to be great!!!).


End file.
